Category: Luxury News

Regardless of how often you drive or where you are going, there are common dangers and bad habits that could pop up, which is why it’s important to focus and practice safe driving no matter where you are or where you’re headed.Driving is often something that feels like second nature, but it is critical to always pay attention and take it seriously.We often forget that we’re seated behind a hulking piece of machinery that can cause irreparable harm or damage.Let’s review some of the common driving scenarios so you can brush up on how to be a safer driver. read more

Here at Imagine Lifestyles we are always looking for innovative ways to take care of our fleet. One of the most delicate parts of our operation is cleaning our luxury and exotic cars. It recently occurred to us that the leaf blower is a great way to get a touch-free dry finish. We manage to safely get a showroom look as quickly as a drive through car wash – and have a little fun too!

There is a very special Bugatti located at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California. The 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia draws in viewers thanks to her shocking condition and fascinating back story.

The story of the Bugatti from the lake has been carefully pieced together and includes some irresistible bits. It seems that the special Bugatti logged approximately 75 years underwater because a lucky chap won her in a bet, but lacked the funds required to get the car over the Italian-Swiss border. It was mandated that all items left at the border be destroyed…and apparently that even included precious items like a Bugatti car. Some say the border agents tried to hoist the car into the lake with chains for later retrieval–but that the chains rusted out and the car plummeted to the bottom of the lake. It was at the bottom of Lake Maggiore that the vehicle remained entombed in water for close to a century.read more

While discovering ditched exotic sports cars is not unheard of, an abandoned Bugatti Veyron certainly is. It seems a Veyron was simply left and forgotten somewhere in Russia, leaving much speculation about how the mighty beast met with such a fate.

Russia is filled with insane automotive tales, some involving brazen thefts and stunts, but an abandoned Bugatti Veyron? Ludacris! The photo above shows the grisly aftermath of the event. (Photo credit: Istvan Mera on Facebook).

The sticker on the Bugatti Veyron was reported to read “Autolehmann”, a very successful dealership in the area where the abandoned car was discovered. It is rumored that the Veyron was involved in an accident back in 2013, when it was rear-ended by an Aston Martin. But was it actually cheaper to just ditch the Veyron rather than repair it, and does the dealership actually have infinite amounts of money? The first issue that comes to mind would be insurance hassles and frustration, though it is not confirmed that it is the same vehicle.read more

Admit it: If you owned a supercar like a Lamborghini Murcielago you would be tempted to street race. Street racing is very dangerous and illegal—but it still happens and we can’t help but inhale the footage. That said, check out this duel on the streets between the Lamborghini Murcielago and a Tesla Model S P85D that is circulating on YouTube!

The video is not exactly professional quality or choreographed, but it does provide an exciting glimpse of the beasts in their natural element. It is always exciting to see an exotic sports car out on the streets, even if you drive one everyday. That exhilaration is increased exponentially when there are two and they then begin to challenge one another. This is not a recommended or legal activity, of course, and we certainly do not encourage such behavior. The driver creating the video did not seem to have a chance at keeping up with the spectacle, and while it is not entirely clear what they are driving, it sounds as if every bolt is coming loose in the attempt!read more

It seems that relations have become electric between BMW and rivals like Tesla in the electric vehicle charging station arena. Word is circulating that BMW is developing EV charging stations that it intends to circulate throughout the United States. The BMW charging stations will provide a charge for all electric vehicles except those made by Tesla and Nissan—now that is a below the belt jolt!

This chatter creates many questions in the way of what the future will hold with electric vehicles and hybrids. Should the decisions be made by the carmakers themselves? This strategy certainly lends much competitive drive into the equation, which ultimately makes things more challenging for the consumer. Unlike standard fueling stations that are open to all vehicles, will people be willing to even purchase a hybrid or electric car if they have to worry about which stations they can stop in to recharge? It seems that would create quite a bit of buyer anxiety and potentially deflect from sales. Like with all things new, someone will have to step in and make a stand on legalities and operations for EV charging stations.read more

There never seems to be a shortage of odd stories in the news, but the man who stole the same Ferrari 458 sports car twice may just win the world’s dumbest contest! Authorities in California will not soon tire of retelling the Ferrari 458 theft tale to anyone who will listen.

Man steals Ferrari 458 Italia, gets away, and then steals it again from the impound lot!

The man was identified as Earnie Hooks of Los Angeles. Hooks got his hooks into the brand new 2014 Ferrari 458 spider and made no attempts to hide it, driving it around the city. Police in Fontana, a town about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, discovered Hooks and the Ferrari at a DUI checkpoint on August 29th. Upon discovering that the Ferrari was reported stolen, they attempted to make an arrest but Hooks fled on foot, abandoning the car. At around 3 in the morning the following day, Hooks entered the impound lot and stole the Ferrari again!read more

A Florida man is being dubbed a vigilante after taking the annoying and deadly issue of distracted driving into his own hands. Jason Humphreys of Seffner, Florida, used a cellphone jammer in his vehicle for a couple of years before being hit with a very hefty fine.

Yikes.

Jason Humphreys of Florida became so annoyed by the cellphone yammer, he installed a jammer. It is, of course, not legal to run amok with a cellphone jammer and disrupt the service of all around you. It is legal to talk on cellphones while operating a vehicle in the state of Florida, but not to text. Humphreys became irritated with the onslaught of distracted drivers on the already clogged Florida roadways and managed to go about 16-24 months operating his signal jammer before being caught. Metro PCS alerted authorities that something was amiss during regular commuting hours. It was reported that it took the FCC and other authorities quite some time to catch up with him and to even figure out what the disruption was.read more

There are few perks in life that can match the joy of test driving a hypercar like a Bugatti. Well…maybe a Bugatti crash in public. Take a moment to imagine the excitement, nerves and even fear that would accompany such an endeavor for the average Joe. Operating a Bugatti Veyron is not like driving a normal vehicle, after all, and seeing anything behind the car is simply impossible without the aid of a backup camera…which clearly should have been used in this ill-fated test drive! Watch the video below to see this poor soul crash the Veyron into a Toyota while attempting to back it out for a test drive.read more

Every red-blooded man has the dream of owning an exotic sports car. Sadly, not all have the bankroll to buy the brands they really want, though some can be quite creative rather than defeated! Case in point: This Lamborghini Volvo was created for roughly $15,000. Does it look like a real Sesto Elemento? Hell no. Does it please its master? Probably.

They say that where there is a will, there is a way. Still, there is no way this Volvo could be mistaken for a true Lamborghini. Kudos for the attempt and entertainment, however! read more